Flat panel monitors such as computer monitors, LCD, plasma, slim televisions, and the like (collectively referred to as “monitor(s)”) are becoming popular because they can be mounted onto a wall to save floor space and for their aesthetically pleasing appearance. Moreover, the recent trend is to make the flat screen monitors slim as possible. For instance, some monitors are now less than 1.0 inch in thickness. And with such slim monitors, it is desirable to mount the monitor close to the wall as possible.
A flush mount is one of the popular mounts to attach the monitor close to a wall. In general, a flush mount is provide with a wall plate that is adapted to attach to the wall; and a pair of panel mounting brackets adapted to attach to the rear side of the monitor and then anchor to the wall plate. Flush mounts attach the monitor in an upright position against the wall, and they do not offer tilting function. Without the tilting function, the flush mounts are generally designed to be less than 1.0″ thin so they can attach the monitor very close to the wall. However, when the monitor is attached close to the wall, it is more difficult to install the monitor to the wall.
In many instances when the monitor is mounted to a wall, TV viewers prefer to have the monitor tilt down a bit so that the viewers can more comfortably view the monitor. In such instances, rather than a flush mount, a tilt mount is used to attach the monitor to the wall. The added tilt mechanism, however, adds depth to the tilt mount so that the overall depth of the tilt mount is usually deeper than a flush mount. Moreover, to provide the tilt function, the monitor needs to be some distance away from the wall so that the bottom of the monitor does not hit the wall, thereby preventing the monitor from tilting down. The added tilt function also adds to the costs—so that a tilt mount generally costs more than a comparable flush mount.
During the purchasing stage of the mount, the buyers usually weigh the pros and cons between the flush and tilt mounts, and pick one depending on their application and budget. Accordingly, there is a need for a mount system that can offer the benefits of both flush and tilt mounts without their above-mentioned dis-advantages.